Victims of Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons sue Dutch suppliers
Five victims of chemical attacks launched by late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war are suing two Dutch companies for supplying chemicals that enabled Baghdad to produce mustard gas.
The two companies – Otjiaha and Forafina Beleggingen – supplied Iraq with chemicals between 1982 and 1984, during Iraq's invasion of Iran.
According to the lawsuit filed in The Hague, the Dutch companies were aware at the time that their products were being used to produce chemical weapons against civilians. Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant says the companies dispute the allegations and claim the chemicals were intended for use as agricultural pesticides.
Iranian victims of Saddam's chemical attacks sue Dutch suppliers @Jerome__Hughes reports from The Hague. pic.twitter.com/N18jYZiTfB
— PressTV (@PressTV) June 23, 2023
Billionaire Hans Melchers, former owner of Otjiaha, then known as Melchemie, appeared in court on June 22, where he denied all charges.
He is accused of having participated in the delivery of 1,850 tons of thionyl chloride, a component of mustard gas, also known as mustard gas, to Iraq. Mustard gas was first used in the Great War, during the battle of Ypres, hence the name. It is a vesicant gas, which creates burns even without being inhaled.
To protect against mustard gas, it was also necessary to cover the eyes and as much of the body as possible
In 1987, his company was fined and temporarily closed for "willfully" ignoring a Dutch government embargo aimed at stopping the transfer to Iraq of materials that could be used to make weapons.
For its part, Forafina Beleggingen – known at the time as KBS Holland – was sued for supplying Iraq with TDG, another element needed for mustard gas production.
Western governments and companies secretly supplied Saddam with chemical weapons components in the 1980s when he was “our man in Baghdad”…
Iraq's use of mustard gas has caused long-lasting harm to the five complainants, who suffer from respiratory problems and damage to their lungs, eyes and skin.
“These people's lives were destroyed at the time… Dutch companies share a share of the responsibility,” lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld told reporters on June 23.
Due to Iraq's use of chemical weapons during the war between 1980 and 1988, hundreds of Iranian soldiers and civilians were killed instantly, while many more suffered from long-lasting ailments.
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The article Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons victims sue Dutch suppliers comes from Scenari Economics .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/le-vittime-delle-armi-chimiche-di-saddam-hussein-fanno-causa-ai-fornitori-olandesi/ on Mon, 26 Jun 2023 06:00:22 +0000.